Julen Lopetegui faces West Ham sack unless Soucek call made v Leicester
Julen Lopetegui must replace Tomas Soucek with Lucas Paqueta at half time against Leicester City to save his job at West Ham United.
The Hammers have gone in at the interval 1-0 down at the King Power Stadium in Tuesday’s (3 December) Premier League contest after Jamie Vardy put the Foxes ahead after just two minutes.
It has to be said that the away side had the better of the play after the opening goal but weren’t able to convert their pressure into a goal, with Danny Ings coming the closest as his header hit the post.
This could prompt Lopetegui into making an attacking change at half time as he looks to save his job, which may be on the line at the London Stadium.
Julen Lopetegui must axe Tomas Soucek for West Ham v Leicester City
It has to be said that the Czechia international has represented a threat in the East Midlands going forward and came so close to scoring.
Despite this, there aren’t many better going forward than Paqueta in the Irons’ squad and his impact could be vital to securing a positive result.
This could prompt the Spanish head coach to bring the Brazilian on during the interval to give the away side more attacking impetus, especially after benching him from the start.
There is so much space available across the pitch, which the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus have been able to exploit so far.
Throw in the creativity of the 27-year-old and combine that with Carlos Soler dropping slightly deeper and there are likely to be so many chances being created going forward.
Against a side which looks to be there for the taking, with Conor Coady and Jannik Vestergaard at the back, the Hammers have to do better.
With that being said, Lopetegui has to make a brave decision which could ultimately save his job in East London.
In other West Ham news, Simon Jordan has hit back at fans after what’s been said about Julen Lopetegui.
For more West Ham news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.